5.  Babylon 5 ™, in effect, has two Bodhisattva species --the socialist Vorlon™ and the darwinist Shadows™.  Note that both stayed behind to help their "little brothers."  However, their ideas of what might constitute "help" differed considerably.

(Ok, in fact, they are polar opposites and zealots to boot.  Our dear creator wouldn't want to make it too difficult for his viewers to figure out the allegory and the moral of the story, now would he.  HEY dudes and dudetes, we are ALL watching Pilgrim's Progress in Technicolor™ . . . and LOVING it.  damn, had again by the media machine.)

That leads me to one other question.  Note that ONLY two races opted to stay behind.  That seems to indicate staying behind is probably pretty stupid --not in ones self-interest.  Also, being a bodhisattva (a Buddha who opts to postpone nirvana) is an altruistic act.  Furthermore, it is evident the Shadows™ stayed to help the ordinary species in the Babylon 5 ™ universe, in return for which the ingrates try to exterminate their would-be benefactors every few thousand years.  (Suppose they DO win the war.  Do they become Nietzsche's übermensch?  No.  They become the masters of several species of monkeys, not real peers, not people, not real slaves.  It's just not worth the candle, there is no NOBILITY to be gained.)  Pretty darned altruistic if you ask me --especially for something that is supposed to represent the worst excesses of capitalism, Thacherism, Reaganomics, and Realpolitik.  Bismarck, Nietzsche, Ayn Rand, Spencer and all the social Darwinists would NEVER endorse such behavior.

Ok, so finally the question:

Why does an ancient race of altruists go around promoting the doctrine of "ALWAYS Look Out For Number One."

???